Perique: Photographs by Charles Martin

Photographer Charles Martin spent eight years documenting the tradition of Perique tobacco cultivation, which is now cultivated only one place on earth: a thirty-mile tract of land in St. James Parish. The labor-intensive cultivation process dates to the early nineteenth century, and its rituals have descended as occupational folklore through a handful of local families, including Martin's. On loan from the Historic New Orleans Collection, this exhibit opens with a reception on February 7 from 5 pm to 8 pm. The exhibit will run through February 28.A lunch lecture will take place on February 13 from noon to 1 pm where Martin will discuss his body of work and sign his catalogs. Hammond Regional Arts Council, 217 East Thomas Street. (985) 542-7113 or hammondarts.org.